The Gordan Complex
by Eric1
Summary: Gordan accepts the mysterious offer employment from the G-Man, and winds up in City 17. My take on the events that'll happen (and now, have happened) in Half-Life 2, and there's going to be lots of spoilers. Told from Gordan's point of view, and for those
1. Chapter 1

Author Note & Disclaimer: This is just a quick Half-Life fanfiction that I decided to throw together alongside of the 'Grand Theft Mario' project. Note that it does have alot of aspects from the new Half-Life 2 game that hasn't even come out yet, but you're a clever little person, and you'll figure it out sooner or later. Note that I do not own Half-Life or any aspect of it, unless it's unique and made up by yours truly. Valve/Sierra owns just about everything else.

* * *

Black Mesa was little more than a memory now. It was like one of those tragic memories that you just wanted to forget, like the death of your brand new puppy, or your parents telling you you couldn't achieve your dreams, because they couldn't control their spending habits. No matter how much I wanted to get rid of those memories, they just wouldn't leave me alone. And now here I am, smack dab in the middle of some alien invasion. How is it that I went from being some highly-trained scientist, to a man in a hazard suit, decked out with every gun and doo-dad known to man? What about all those scientists and guards? There were so many casualties that day from the resonance cascade alone that there couldn't have been many.

Even so, I had to step bravely into that teleporter. Everyone thus far had risked their lives for me because they knew I had a greater purpose in life. That their lives weren't nearly as important as mine, and that I could 'save the world'. I'm not sure what came over me those days, but in a few days I, be it either skill or an absolute stroke of luck, brought new meaning to the word 'Army of One'. You see those movies, like Rambo, where this one guy takes on a whole bunch of guys that're equally or even more heavily armed than him. I lived that. And now, here I am.

"It's time to choosssse.. Mr. Freeman." The familiar voice of my boss and soon-to-be-employer rang through my ears. He seemed to have some sort of speech impediment that made him talk like a human snake, or maybe it was some kind of message from that same other-worldly person that had gotten me here so safely. Slowly, knowing I had no other choice, I moved past the G-Man, staring at the orange, green and white portal that i'd stepped through so many times to go short distances in Black Mesa. Where would this mysterious portal take me?

"An excellent choiccccce, Mr. Freeman.."

Indeed. I leapt out the open door of the cable car, my body turning into all those indiscernable atoms, travelling at the speed of light to my destination, and re-appearing as if nothing had ever happened. It didn't hurt. Or maybe it was just the hazard suit I wore. The G-Man was nice enough to let me keep it. Something told me that i'd probably need it. It had gotten me this far. The darkness of the room around me slowly became illuminated, giving me the impression that I was in a dream. Stain-glass depicted the forms of humans, some I recognized, and a few that I didn't. One of them was me. Infact, every other one was me. I recognized another person. Eli. I had worked for him when he was at the top of his field. Wether or not he survived was beyond me, but by the looks of the stained glass windows infront of me, it was a safe bet.

The darkness continued on, and it was then I realized that I was knee deep in water. Normally i'd be alarmed, and immediately keep on the lookout for anything that could give me trouble in water, but it was eerily calm, which should have alerted me even more. Even so, in this.. 'dream world'.. all I could do was press onward into the darkness.

* * *

When I awoke, I gave a groan. The light that filtered in from the windows stung the eyes, and I quickly rose a hand to block it. The gruff sound of a mans voice near me alerted me to his presence, and the fact that I was riding on some sort of transportation.

"Oh. You look like Hell. You must have been found, too, huh? Put on this train, too?" The man shook his head slowly, offering a bottle of water. I felt him shove it haphazardly between my hands, and, realizing my thirst as I realized what was in the bottle, I rose it to my lips and took a drink. At this point, there were alot of things on my mind. Was what I imagined before real, or was it some kind of dream?

It was then I got a good look at the man as I handed back the water. He wore clothes with a large 17 on his back. If he wore the correct padding, I could've easily mistaken him for a football player. He looked as though he hadn't slept much recently, and what little he did, must have contained alot of disturbing dreams. I didn't dare speak to him, though, unsure of myself around this new stranger. "I see. The silent type, huh? That's just fine. We're about to pull into the station. What's up with your clothes, though? They'll be all over you like white on rice."

What? I looked down at my hazard suit. It was the same orange and black suit that i'd been wearing since the start of this fiasco. I didn't feel clean.. my hair was greasy, and I could've done well with a shave myself, but my body didn't seem unclean. Maybe the hazard suit cleaned its wearer if worn for prolonged periods? I didn't feel anything like that, and so, when I found a safe shower, promised myself to take one.

The train slowly screeched to a stop, and I finally stood up for the first time since I could remember. It felt nice to sit, actually.. but it was obvious I had to move. Legs shakily replied, and I used the nearby seats to stand up. By the looks of the seats, they probably weren't all that comfortable. Waiting outside the train as me, and a few others from different cars got off, was a small troupe of heavily armed guards. They didn't look human, though they had humanoid forms. One might mistaken them for humans, but it was hard to tell. They spoke english, but it was hard to understand.

"Move along, humans!" The word 'human' rolled off their tongue as if it were venom and needed to quickly be spat out. I obliged, knowing that I was no match for their guns. My hazard suit had no armor, and I was only armed with a crowbar, which I kept hidden away in the small compartments that I had used to hide my weapons in during my first fiasco back in Black Mesa. I passed more and more guards as I made my way towards the security check-point. "Stay in line!" Another alien shouted, shoving one of the more frightened-looking humans back into the line. A fence with barbed wire on the top prevented anyone from getting by, and I wasn't about to have any ideas.

Slowly, one by one, an alien-looking scanner scanned the humans one-by-one. I stepped forward into the small area, the fence closing behind me as it had with all the others. The scanner began to look me up and down, and for a minute, I felt that strange sense of danger. I was right. A loud buzzer rang out, and the normally green light atop the scanner turned a bright red. Red meant danger. And I was right in the middle of the place where I probably shouldn't have been. I considered my options, but none of the armed guards around me seemed to worry about the scanner. A door nearby opened, offering another similarly dressed and armed alien.

"Come with me, human." Again, with the venomous voice. I had no choice but to follow him. Anything had to be better than staying under the bright red light of the scanner. I adjusted my glasses, again, just realizing that I even had them on.. and slowly followed the alien through the door.

* * *

End Chapter 1.


	2. Chapter 2

"We'll have to put you.. in a placcce.. where you will cause no harm to others, and no harm will come to you.."

That's the last thing I remember hearing as I sat exhausted in my seat from a bloody encounter with another of those aliens. I'm nothing special.. don't have a hazard suit, only this now-useless body armor. Who invented this thing, anyways? Oh well. It's saved me more than once, so I can't complain, I suppose. I remember that we were hunting someone named.. Gord.. Gordo.. wait! I remember now! Gordan Freeman. Everyone thought that he had something to do with making all those aliens appear, but it's obvious now that there must have been some kind of mistake. Well, it was obvious to me.

I've been here for.. God knows how long. I always have enough food and water to get by, and if I ever felt like getting more, it'd always appear. Even so, being on this little floating island, my.. 'prize'.. for surviving. Someone up there must have liked me, but this army camo isn't helping me any. I had long since ditched the gas mask that I had so readily worn when I first wandered into Black Mesa. I killed a couple of aliens, and barely escaped with my life when that.. alien.. thing.. attacked me. When I woke up, a man in a grey suit stood across from me. We were.. in a helicopter. Of some type. I remember coming here in one. Oh, to Black Mesa.

I look down at my dogtags. Adrian Shepard. Name, Rank, and Serial Number. Or.. was it.. well, it hardly matters anymore. The least that could be done is give me a beautiful woman every year. My right hand just isn't giving me what it used to. Infact, it stopped putting out a while ago. Masturbation had officially lost its fun, and the fact that I learned I had to release it over the edge and into the abyss below wasn't a fun thought. Who, or what, might be down there? Was it bottomless? More than once i'd considered jumping down into the darkness below, but to no prevail. It's like trying to commit suicide.

Today, though.. today is different. I'd steeled myself for atleast a month, and it was about time, too. Staying here was getting frustrating. It felt like I was needed somewhere else, anyways, even if this jump would mean a merciful death. Hopefully, solid ground was hundreds of miles below and the end would be less painful than staying here, enjoying my own company. How long have I been here? Oh well. I've lost track. No-one to take orders from, no-one to give orders from. Oops. There goes the army training thing again. I've really got to forget about that.

Slowly standing, I moved my way over to the edge of the platform, and, realizing that I was missing my weapons, I turned and picked up the government-issue weapons the G-Man kindly allowed me to keep, guessing that eventually i'd kill myself. I strapped them to my body, and put feet over the edge. Second thoughts racked my mind, and before I could stop myself, my own balance betrayed me, and my body tumbled over the edge. I gripped the edge of the platform, staring up at the paradise that was my little haven, where only four fingers kept me from falling to certain doom. I gritted my teeth. I had plenty of time for exercise, but again, I began to fight with myself.

Let go!

No, don't let go! You've got alot to live for!

Forget it! No-one can save you! You're in some alternate dimension, and the only sign that people know you're here is that you get three meals a day. And that's it!

No! No! This can't end like this! I'm too young!

My fingers finally slipped, as I gave in to the stronger thoughts of suicide. The death would be painless. I disappeared into the abyss below in the span of a few seconds, closing my eyes as an overwhelming green light flooded all around me. I let out a scream, but it was drowned out by the darkness.

I was dead. Or was I?

* * *

"Come with me human." Again, with the venomous voice. I had no choice but to follow him. Anything had to be better than staying under the bright red light of the scanner. I adjusted my glasses, again, just realizing that I even had them on.. and slowly followed the alien through the door.

I followed him down a short hallway, and up a short set of stairs. In the next room, I noticed another alien and another scruffy human male.

"No! No, this must be some sort of mistake! I don't belong here!" The scruffy man screamed, moving over to the door when he noticed, banging on it. He was kicked away by one of the aliens, I could only suspect, and I slowly moved over towards the door, only to notice the face of the alien assaulter.

"What're YOU looking at, human?" The alien spat venomously, sliding the small door closed on the door. God only knew what was going to happen to that poor man. I turned and moved into the room with the open door that the alien that had escorted me was patient enough to wait for me. Knowing that my only ticket out of here was to jump the alien, I was glad that I had my trusty crowbar with me. I slowly opened the compartment on my lower leg, pulling out the crowbar from the hazard suit. I rose it over my head, only to have to hide it when the alien finally entered, crossing over to the corner of the room where a monitor rested.

Finally, the alien turned to me.. a hand lifting up to its face. I prepared to attack, hands grasping tightly around the crowbar. Go for the head. That should kill anything real quick.

"Gordan! Hey! Recognize me? It's me, Barney! From Black Mesa!" The man beneath the mask was none other than Barney, the security guard. I stared for a moment.. slowly lowering the crowbar back to its rightful place. "I managed to escape Black Mesa and now i'm working undercover here amongst the Combine."

So, now that gave me an idea of just who these aliens were. I sat back, finally able to relax for once, as an old friend caught me up on what I had missed while I was 'away'. How long was I gone from Black Mesa? Months? No. It couldn't have been just a few months. It would take years to change this. Apparently, the whole world was being controlled by a similar megalomaniac. And he didn't particularly like humans. What their fascination with Earth was was beyond me. I tilted my head slightly, remembering for a moment the resonance cascade.. what started all this.

"Gordan! Step away from the beam!"

"Powering down.. it won't power down!"

The screams of fellow scientists dying, as the world literally fell apart around me, seemed to echo in my mind. It was like the incident would slowly make me go insane. It just might, someday. It was then the voice of my old friend brought me back to reality.

"Gordan? Gordan, are you okay? You don't look so good.." Barney murmured, slowly digging through his pockets for asprin. Lord knows, I could probably use it. "Well, anyways.." He handed me a small bottle of water, only a quarter of the substance still in the clear plastic, which I took, along with the asprin. He put the asprin in my mouth and swallowed them with a swig of water, handing him the rest. Was water a precious commodity these days?

"We've managed to recover a few of the scientists as they came through City 17 to be processed. We've found a few of the Black Mesa scientists, and Doctor Eli." So Eli had survived? Incredible. He was probably one of the first to get away, anyways. "His daughter was with him too. Alex, I think he name is. She's a resourceful girl. We've got to get you over there. Here.. take this. You'll need it."

Barney handed me his old pistol. It was reminescant of the fiasco back at Black Mesa, and if I wasn't so tired from the events, I would've had another flashback. I slowly stood up, loading a fresh clip into the .9mm deathstick, placing it in its proper compartment, incase I needed it. For now, my crowbar would have to suffice.

"Just be careful out there, Gordan. There're plenty more of those aliens and they're alot more heavily armed than you are. If you need to get to Doctor Eli's lab, head out the back entrance and across the town square. You might have to trudge through the canal, but at the end of it is the lab. Try not to stir up too much trouble, will ya, Gordan?" Barney added.

I slowly stood up, making my way out of the room. Barney took out a key, unlocking and opening the only other door in this little area. "Good luck."

I moved past him towards the other door at the end of the hall. It opened easily, and I guarded my face from the sun again. City 17 was a ghost town.. inhabited only by the rare free human, and everything else was some sort of alien force, it seemed. Papers swept by in the breeze, giving me that sense of loneliness. But then again, I had always been alone..

hadn't I?

* * *

End Chapter 2.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Sorry about it taking so long to get this all done, but inspiration turns on and off like a light switch. Still, here's the next chapter, but don't get too crazy. I'll post another chapter if I come up with more ideas.

Now that Half-Life 2 is out, I have to give spoiler warnings. Naturally, how Half-Life 2 came out, I'm going to have to add a big Spoiler Warning. This chapter alone reveals a lot of spoilers (especially near the end of the chapter) about the actual game. So, if you haven't played it, you've been warned.

Also changed will be the story line. It'll eventually branch off in a different direction that Half-Life 2 went on, but right now we're going to travel the path most worn. On to the story!

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Walking around City 17, it took me a few seconds to realize that I was missing my Hazard Suit. It seemed like I had it, but it was probably because the new civilian clothing fit so snugly against my body, much like the Hazard Suit had. There wasn't much to do in City 17. There was no entertainment, unless I felt like staring up at the one man that I really recognized from my old endeavors… outside of Barney, of course. Still, after only thirty minutes into walking through the city, I came up with a conclusion..

City 17 sucks.

The oppressive nature of the aliens, by the name of the Combine (as I learned later), made it hard for me to make my way around the city. It didn't help that I had no map, and no idea where I was going. Still, who would guess that fate would eventually lead me where I wanted to go? Who would've guessed that, as I roamed the streets, I would eventually make my way into one of the lightly guarded buildings. It was probably best to get into some sort of shelter, so I could atleast try to avoid the Combine from seeing me so much. If I remember correctly, back before at the train station, my picture had been taken several times from some strange device.

Someone would eventually come and find me, right?

I was right. As I walked slowly through the hallways, observing the results of the oppression of the Combine against the human race, I couldn't help but feel a hatred build up inside me. I wanted to fight them, but without my Hazard Suit and a sidearm, what was I in this war? I wasn't resistant to bullets, and the best I could find were blunt weapons, which the Combine could probably either resist or get back enough to plug me full of lead. As far as I could tell, I was simply a spectator… yet, the war was only beginning, and I had the feeling that I'd prove to be another gear that made the machine run.

"There he is! Get him!" The masked voices of the Combine caught my attention when I got to another spiraling stairwell. I couldn't help but curse to myself as I turned to run the other way. Bad move: Combine had caught up with me there, too, making their way down the hall as humans peeked their heads out doorways to see who was about to get busted. Namely, me. Quickly, I turned and ran the only way I could: up the stairs, and into an attic. The attic was large, filled with antiques and, thought he roof had large holes in it, the attic still retained that old dusty smell unique to attics.

I couldn't stop and enjoy a smell I even vaguely recognized. I'd have time to enjoy myself later, but for now, I had to avoid apprehension, at any cost. One of the nearby holes in the roof offered room enough for me to make a timely jump through, landing on the edge of another roof. One of my feet slipped, causing me to nearly tumble backwards to my death (much to the dismay of the Combine that had begun to pour into the attic I'd just left behind), but I quickly threw my weight forward, rolling along the roof. I had to be careful with my glasses. They were fragile, and had amazingly survived the Black Mesa incident.

The sound of gunshots rang through the air as the Combine fired their weaponry. They sounded like pistol shots, but as I clambered to a stand, I didn't bother to glance back behind me. I had to get out of the line of fire. Quickly, I made my way to the other side of the roof, sliding down (carefully) to the edge of an adjacent home. I slowly began to make my way across, towards the other side. Down below, I could see the Combine pulling up in APC-like vehicles, several of them making their way out into the streets to fire their pistols at me. It was inevitable, though, that I'd get hit by a bullet, since the whole premise behind firing a gun was to point the gun, pull the trigger, and watch things die if it gets hit. This one would only clip my left shoulder, the bullet burying itself into the wall in a spray of white paint chips and wood.

I gave a groan, but it was a pain that I had felt before. If only I had the Hazard Suit… but I knew that, if I was to survive here in City 17, especially with the Combine following my every move, I had to rely on myself and the instincts I had built in the few days I spent alone during the Black Mesa incident… and that was to survive. Again, at all costs. Quickly, I used my leg to bust one of the windows of the homes open (simply to get behind something to avoid taking any bullets), climbing into another abandoned attic. That same smell hung in the air, but it was older and stronger, since there were no real holes in the ceiling here.

Finding the nearby stairs, I quickly turned and rushed over to them, wasting no time to climb down them and head out into the hall. As luck would have it, the Combine were there on both ends of the hall. With another curse, I turned and rushed back towards the stairs. Like with all things, years of misuse will cause anything to wear down and break. The stairs would do just that, causing me to collapse in a poof of dust, and the strong smell of rotting wood. I turned around, and to my horror, the Combine were beginning to occupy my little stair area. There was only one thing left to do.

Fight.

––––––––––––––

"What's my purpose here?" I inquired of the darkness, clutching my army-issued MP5 close to my chest. It was the only thing that I had left of the human world. Images would flash through my mind, of the hostile take-over of the Combine. As if watching a movie, a voice answered the questions I had.

"Your purpose here.." The voice called to me. "Is to sit and listen."

"I've been doing that for a few years now.." I murmured, looking around. It felt like I was floating, so how could I sit? Listening was my only other option.

"Many years ago, during the Black Mesa incident, dimensional rifts were opened. The creatures of Xen were encountered and defeated by a lone man… in the process, however, not only did the rifts attract the attention of the Covenant, but the defeat of the Nihilith meant the defeat of Xen, and the Combine's only true enemy. The war between Xen and the alien Combine have gone on for ages, as the Combine originally used dimensional rifts to hop the galaxy light years in seconds." The voice told me, pausing as the view changed to City 17. I recognized it… it was my hometown, but it was.. "Overtaken by the Combine. This is one of the most important places as far as the Combine in concerned, and this is where the battle starts. You will help, and you will make a difference this time… not just be a pawn in a tiny war."

"So, wait… where do I go when I get there?" I called to the voice, as light began to appear overhead.

"Everything you want to know will be revealed to you in time. You'll meet the one that you only got a brief glimpse of during the Black Mesa incident. Now, go, Adrian Shepard… this war cannot be won without your help." The voice commanded him.

Everything began to get brighter, to the point where I had to cover my eyes. When I was able to open them, I noticed my surroundings… cold and forbidding. I couldn't help but notice the Combine that were slowly surrounding me. Too many for me to take alone, what with them having superior weapons. My armor had all but lost its power (it was low in the first place, anyway), and it seemed I wouldn't survive. What a way to go. I finally get out of that hellhole, and I'm going to wind up dead!

"Get out of the way, get out of the way!" A female human caught my eye… the only one that Combine seemed to get out of the way for. "He's finally here. We were beginning to wonder when you'd show up. You're Adrian Shepard, correct?"

"Yeah… but how'd you..?" I inquired, before looking towards where she was looking. Right. The dog tags. A dead give-away. "Right. Who might you be?"

"You can call me Judith Mossman. Please follow me. Wallace Breen wants to speak to you." Judith smiled slightly, turning to walk past the gathered Combine. I reluctantly followed, keeping my thoughts to myself. Wallace Breen? Wasn't he the old administrator of Black Mesa?

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End Chapter 3


End file.
